Maalox Moments (Stomach For it Reviews)

[dirgetheband]

In this Production Fight Song Fight I may've found something to vote for everybody for. Just a good mood?

Elaine DiMasi - Plenty of flaws in the execution but you get the idea. Rock the Renaissance!

As for the criticism of "thin sounding programming", I'll translate that to "thin sounding boring instrumental arrangement", since I'm playing all real instruments (counting the harpsichord sound on my digital piano, and the one overdriven Roland synth patch, as real, being played live). I'm not crazy about programming my music at night, I program stuff all day at work. Fact is, my mixes are never going to sound right, recording real drums in a live room with no good tools to process them with. Whenever I have played with bands in boxes, it's much easier to get the sounds to sit somewhere - they've already been designed to sound right.

That said, I am loving the criticisms coming my way so far. They're telling me how to try and change the arrangements, which is what I really care about.

Your translation is spot on. As a guy who's lived in apartments his entire adult life, I don't have the luxury of owning many diverse instruments. (Of course, as I write that I look over to my left and see 10 guitar cases - and there are more hiding in various places!!!) So maybe it's just that as a bullheaded guitarist, I hate playing anything that has more than 6 strings and fewer that 4 strings and, of course, 5 is right out. I automatically assume when I hear sweeping orchestration that "oh! it's electronic!" I hope that erroneous assumption didn't offend - it's really a compliment. Often I forget there are people talented enough to play more than one instrument.

None of which takes me back to my point. The production was rather un-dynamic and it hurt the song. I think if your rhythm section were beefier, it would support the vocals better. For example, that cymbal crash around the 1:00 mark should knock me on my butt. However it doesn't. And the syncopation, while it's really nice as the song moves on, I would have tried to leave it out until a little bit later. The beginning of the song felt a bit too busy.

Your lead vocals get a lot of competition from your backing vocals. When I layer my voice I try to either pan backing vocals hard left and right, apply lots of processing to them, or sing with a different timbre. Anything that keeps the backers away from the lead, unless your objective is to simply double a lead, which you totally nailed from 1:38 to 2:00. But the cascading "but I have not..."s, while very beautiful, step on each other's toes.

In any event, the more I listen, the more I appreciate. Nice work. I'm looking forward to submitting something myself.

[jast]

And, I want to challenge you particularly to start writing bigger story arcs. We moved from "I hate you" to "I hate myself". Travel further!

For the record, I have written different songs before (my first SF submission was almost a motivational song, and my "In The Tank" wasn't really about hate either). No, I don't particularly love the lyrics on this one either. I was short on time and had to go with the first idea I had. And, well, as far as topics go, what I come up with depends a lot on the fight title. Should I have time to make it to the next fight, I'll demonstrate that.

I think if your rhythm section were beefier, it would support the vocals better. For example, that cymbal crash around the 1:00 mark should knock me on my butt. However it doesn't. And the syncopation, while it's really nice as the song moves on, I would have tried to leave it out until a little bit later. The beginning of the song felt a bit too busy.

Actually, I think that's the way this kind of song is supposed to sound. After all, the idea of how music is supposed to sound has changed quite a lot over time, and this song is definitely doing the medieval thing.

By the way, now I'm seeing all of the new reviews, I'm thinking that maybe I should expand the list of votes I'll be giving (haven't sent them in yet). After all, the curving does make the votes more valuable (if they have any value to start with) but the songs are pretty close to each other in quality this fight. I guess I'll just let it roll around in my head for a while.

[Reist]

Reviews!!!

Berkeley Social SceneVocals are tight - albeit a little bored sounding. The doubled guitar solo is fantastic, and the whole song is just so well done that I can't help but vote for it. VOTE.

BLT - Cool intro. I think I always say this about you, but I'll say it again - this would be fun to see live. I honestly don't love the vocals in a recorded situation, but if this was live I'd be going nuts. Once again, it's done so tightly that I can't help but vote. VOTE.

Elaine - I see where you're going with this ... the music in the background's pretty quiet - you should pump it up a bit. I'm not really into this style style.

Frosty the Showman - I uh ... don't really like this. It's kind of weird and creepy.

Jan Krueger - Competent - drums feel too fake - melody follows guitars too closely, in my opinion. The concept's pretty good, but not expanded enough.

J$ - Kind of like Elaine - not really my style. The chorus is pretty killer though. The lalas are cool too. This is easily the most memorable tune so far, so ... VOTE.

Josh Woodward - Haha, is this song about SongFight? It's done really well. The drums make it almost too frantic at spots, but it doesn't detract much anyways. VOTE for the win.

Pacs - Your music is always so good. The vocals are far more bearable than usual here too. This chorus is pretty memorable too, and of course the guitar solo is kickass. VOTE.

Slats - Mixing's a bit funny. It doesn't have the full-out band sound I like to hear in a song like this, despite the fact that there's enough instruments to do so. Vocals are a bit too loud, guitar eq could use some tweaking, and the snare's got punch but not the pop I expect from a snare in this song. Once you've done some of that, I'd maybe compress the final track a bit more - I find it gives the song the full band sound. No vote, but I think with some extra mixing attention, it could be pretty good.

Todd McHatton - pretty good song. Once again, mixing's a bit funny - but I can feel the balls in this for sure. Pretty good songwriting too ... which deserves ... a ... VOTE.

The Weakest Suit - Yeah! You're doing the full band thing. This matches your songwriting much better, I think. The mix fits the song - it could use a bit pumping up, but it's good enough. Really, dude - this fits your style so much better than acoustic songs. VOTE.

Pretty solid fight. Josh Woodward for the win.

[Billy's Little Trip]

BLT – Now, here’s a drum sound I love. Long decay on crash cymbals, big “thump” on the bass, snappy snare. Thanks! I feel that the acoustic floating around in the background kills a little of the mood. But maybe I’d be more disappointed if it wasn’t there at all. I love all the “bleeps” and “bloops” at the beginning. You make real neat guitar textures. VOTE.

Yeah, drums are one of my pet peeves. If a song has drums and it sounds like the drummer is playing tuned pillows, I get frustrated. Recording acoustic guitar is one of my weak spots. It always sounds so dead when I'm mixing, so I start adding FX thinking it sounds better, but when I hear it later after it's sent in I think, why did I do that. I'll get it right one of these days. Thanks for noticing the guitar textures. I like doing stuff like that and I was feeling pretty experimental. Thanks Dirge.

Billy's Little Trip -- Okay, I must admit I've never heard of can but at first listen this rocks. A lot. Oh well, except for the spoken lyrics. Bias and all that. Anyway, lots of great guitar playing and drumming (I love the drum sound) and such. Out of interest, what kind of acoustic guitar is that? I like something about the sound of it. I think the crunchy bass thing during the solo thing (~2:30) could do with just a bit less high frequencies. I'm inclined to vote for this despite not liking the vocals, it's just so damn cool.

You should give Can a listen. They're really experimental for their time and can still hold up this day and age because they make catchy music. They don't sound like the song I did, but they woke something up in me and I was just inspired by their inventiveness.
My acoustic guitar in this is my Yamaha FGX-04-LTD. It sounds great in person, but I have a hard time making it sound good in production. There's no bass in the bridge, I'm holding a lazy bar E with the high strings a bit open and smacking my strings right over the pickups and I stomped a real crunchy distortion on my POD, so that's where the highs are from. Thanks Jast.

Billy's Little Trip - Wow, the vocal delivery is awesome! Those lyrics look really dumb on paper but they sound like genius. I thought the music was groovy and the breakdown was really nice. I'd like to have heard you sing your heart out on some of the later choruses, with harmonies or doubled vocals, instead of speaking them with squeaky vox in the bg. And yeah, I heard the crispiness of the clipping too, I think.

This song was originally spoken word with full melody BU vox on the chorus. But it just wasn't hitting the mark and I ran out of time. But your right, it would sound good if done right. I've pulled it off in the past, like on my Sister Cocaine song, but this one just didn't flow right. Thanks Elaine.
...by the way, dumb annoying perv is just my Internetz persona.

[rone rivendale]

I should have entered this fight. It's like a big review circle jerk. Everyone is voting for everyone. I want that! Why not me?!

[Spud]

The voting, so far, does not reflect your statement, Rone.

[rone rivendale]

Rone is never wrong! Your vote count is wrong! lol just kiddin.

[Billy's Little Trip]

The voting, so far, does not reflect your statement, Rone.

Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.

[glennny]

The Stomach For It Reviews


Small fight, but excellent quality! I like every song that is entered! It’s shocking to me “Violet Wants Her Way” was 5 years ago. I began lurking around Song Fight back then. I actually wrote a song for Violet. It took me 2 more years to get the process down to the time allotted and accept the compromises that go with that, and actually be part of a submission.

Anyway reviews:

Billy’s Little Trip: The groove is really tasty! I love all of the instruments in their production. The break down is beautiful and weird. I love the acoustic guitar touches too. The chorus could be catchier, but the drums and riffs are so delicious I don’t want it to end. Heavily anticipated, and delivers the goods! VOTE

Elaine: I have a 3 year old, and I listen to a lot of “children’s” music that sounds similar to this. Your singing is not trained in Rock or Jazz, therefore I cringe a bit when I hear it. I have a genre bias. For a Ren Fair piece of music it’s not bad, production issues aside. All the SCA people will love the lyrics, but again my genre bias makes me cringe at the old English. You’re keeping it interesting however!

Frosty O’Brien: There’s a lot going for this track. The music is great. The vocal flow is really good. My only real problem with this song is when I actually listen to the lyrics; I end up disappointed. It’s a pleasant enough of a groove no vote I’m afraid.

Jan Krueger- It’s funny, I wondered why you were singing with that accent, then I realized you were German. Yeah the riff is pretty cool, but the drums are weak. I like in the 2nd verse when the keys come in. The meta song violation always irks me “all I got is this song”. I wish there was another part, we hear this melody and this riff a lot. Luckily both are good. Short of a vote.

Johnny Cashpoint: One of the most distinctive voices on Song Fight. This is very cool! This is one of those perpetual intro or 1st verse songs. I want it to really kick in. This would be a good album track juxtaposed next to an upbeat rocker. I like this more and more with each listen. However given the high competition, this is just shy of a vote.

Josh Woodward- Nice banjo playing! Nice Mark Kozelek vocals. Beautiful harmonies! Nice Born to Run Glock! I find the chorus to be extremely cheesy (is this the guy who called my guitar cheesy? HA! yes it is! To each his own!;) . This reminds me of the “other” Glen Phillips. I want to like it it’s just so sickly sweet. I require only the slightest bit of edge to enjoy something. I’m impressed with all things artisan in this, but question the art. I bet once I check out your back catalog I will enjoy most of your stuff. This song just doesn’t do it for me. Not a vote from me, but I bet this gathers a lot of votes.

Paco del Stinko- My favorite of the fight! No secret, I’m a fan of your music. So even competing with yourself, this is a gem! Sweet sweet sweet guitar playing! I like the swing groove the best. I can’t keep from smiling every time I listen to this. This is insane and delightful. Nice twisted story as well! Huge VOTE.

Slats- 12 bar. …………………snore……………………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… OK, 12 bars have their place. I like them live and when I 1st sit down with a new group of musicians, it’s a good icebreaker and way to get to know another musicians and hear some chops in an understood already known format. However for recordings, there are very few I can get into. This is all right, obvious genre bias; you pretty much have to be Stevie Ray Vaughn for me to overcome this bias.

Todd McHatton- Every time I hear a new song from you I start singing part of one of our WSA songs “…who are you and where did you come from?” Damn! This is really good! The flute patch reminds me of “I Talk to the Wind” it’s just beautiful! All the instruments sound gorgeous! Impressive dynamics, this track really breathes! Melody is really catchy. No complaints! BIG VOTE! By the way I LOVE the guitar solo!!!!

The Weakest Suit- This has its charms. I like the guitar tones. I like the plastic surgery bits. The vocal doubling the riff gets a little grating. Had the verse a different melody than the guitar, I would like this a lot more. Enjoyable listen but no vote.

Berkeley Social Scene- So we all have a studio space together. Oddly enough we were never at the studio at the same time. This was about as collaborative as you can be. Lunkhead started this off, then I took it over wrote a bunch of additional parts, then Ken decided which parts would work. I defer to Ken’s pop sensibilities but I’m very happy we got to keep “the riff”. The verse guitar work is Lunkhead, I take solo duties and bass duties. Erin somehow managed to give us some vocals in her busy schedule, she always takes things up several notches in quality. Ken is awesome as usual with pocket drums and stellar production. Yeah I voted for us. Vote.

[j$]

Reviews. WAIL. IAAC.

BSS - good drums. Simple tune, a little repetitive perhaps? I think if various of the parts were a little grungier it would sound almost exactly like Verucca Salt and I then would be happier, so probably just a personal taste thing. Some of the transitions into the lead guitar seemed a bit abrupt on first listen. I enjoyed this.

BLT – Ah funk-metal! Like the spoken word on this kind of music. Makes it sound creepier and it’s nice not to hear the Robert Plant impressions in this genre for a change. That said I might turn up the backing vocals so that more of a melody jumps out on first listen. I like the way you have to explain who recorded ‘Stand By Me’ Like the effect on the ‘bass’ in the break down very much. the drums sound great on this. Nice and fat. Great track but 3 minutes in, the lack of a catchy melody makes me sad.

Elaine DiMasi – Well, medieval troubadour-y is not something I hear that often round Songfight (or anywhere else for that matter.) can I play genre bias? It’s very well done (general tinge of midi-ness aside) and your voice suits it very well - but I can’t help but snigger at the (unintentional?) campness of it all. Don’t get me wrong – it really is done very well, but when I hear a line that to me sounds like ‘their vessels do their doody’ my childishness kicks in!

Frosty & the rest – great choice of backing track samples but could do perhaps with a bit more variety before 1.30ish - ‘cos the words while interesting and the flow is good I personally don’t find them quite engaging enough. There’s something of the Mad Dog about the ‘spoken word’ verse raps which I like very much but the chorus is unfortunately for me unmemorable. So overall Alittle long for what you’ve got in the pot (my interest started to waver at 2.40-ish) but undeniably very aedequate rap song, well performed and mixed.

Jan Kruger – My first reaction is the vocal is mixed a little loud - there’s lots of interesting things going on in the mix which I am straining a little to pick out under the impressively tracked but slightly characterless vocal performance (that’s a pot & kettle scenario, obviously). It has something of the Brad Sucks about it but it’s all a little clean in the mix. The tune is good and I like the introduction of the acoustic strum (though it runs the risk of veering into Bon Jovi Town!) Short and to the point as well – admirably lean.

J$ - that’s me. Considering I wrote, recorded and mixed this in 8 hours, it could be worse.

Josh Woodward – Ah I knew this was with you even before you started singing - Brand identity is an admirable quality! Yeah, nothing much has changed for me – well performed, pretty little tune, those who like this sort of sound will justly love it, but it’s just not my bag. I don’t have much to say – good or bad. Highlights for me include the banjo (Uke?) – very nice – and the stabbing, descending middle 8. The lyric was maybe a little ‘meh’ but all fine and dandy.

Paco Del Stinko – Sparky! Great tones on the guitars. Drums sound good. Lyric is neither here nor there for me (though spaghetti/yeti is a suitably bonkers rhyme) but this is a very cohesive tune and there is an almost trademark PdS slow-down / tempo shift. Catchy and foot-stompy. Do you know a band called ‘Stump’ by any chance? Although they wouldn’t have been this metal there is something in the vocal performance that reminds me of their lead singer (or maybe it’s just am-Beefheart I’m hearing). Definitely voting for this one.

Slats – Good voice. Mix is a bit screwy – it seems very thin but maybe that’s just following Paco Del Stinko in the stream. Ummm, yeah well done as the blues go - for me, I’d like it to be a bit more experimental with the structure. Also mix-wise, maybe some bleed between the tracks would take the edge of its slight stiffness?

Todd McHatton – First things first – it has to be said, at moments during listening to this song, I have horrible flashes of Chris Martin’s gurning visog. This is not a good thing. Obviusly very good song – my favourite bits are the synth-flute-patch under the verse and the guitar solo (though it goes on about four bars too long.)

The Weakest Suit – Great opening – come on, indeed. List lyrics always bore me slightly unless there is a real point to choosing the format. I digress … Really like the punky verse part – even with the (probably appropriately) tinny mix, it works in a ‘Devo meet the Knack a very, very long way away’ kind of way – but have to say the song runs a real risk of falling apart in between (the ‘plastic surgery’ parts.) It just a bit flat in mood. To me, at least, it feels like it runs out of ideas around 2.30ish, and probably should have ended nice and abruptly then. However the bare bones of a very good song that with a little tweaking and moulding could be a cracker.

[martyr]

BLT: I love this. It just hits my demographic tastes of late 80s/early 90s perfectly. I can't resist all the tasty hooks and tone choices even though if I hyper-analyzed them I could probably generate a precise list of influences and borrowings. Great job Billy! Long live the 2 second turn on bass lick break down!

BSS: I'm part of this group, but did nothing this week... I like the result of my non-participation. As they say, good musicians known when *not* to play. I'll eat a cheese scone every morning on behalf of the fans.

Johnny Cashpoint: Like the arpeggiation intro/verse line. The beginning of the vocal line doesn't establish itself as strongly as I'd like, but as the song progresses the Brit pop eclectic nature of it really finds its place and draws me in nicely. Why folks in the UK make such rad music so consistently is beyond me -- perhaps because they invented the language most of us are using? I like the chorus guitar lick too. Nice!

Elaine Di'Masi: Renaissance feel is fine, but the harpsichord is a way to synthy. You need some more authentic sounds! Oh enter triangle and woodwinds. Lovely. Well my suggestion would be to use the authentic sounds from the get go and mix in the synthy stuff later so it doesn't distract. Good journey to the Isles off of Europe circa 14th century.

The Weakest Suit: Puuuunnkk rock!! Likin the verse repetitive melody, dual guitar / vox, and screams in the background. Serve yourself melody isn't quite doin it for me though. That part and the transition into it needs a bit more composition work to find something that really grabs. Is that the chorus? Come on come on part is good.

Frosty: Hip hop voter nudge. The spoken verse 1 part is not as good as the chorus part that kicks in, gets rhythmic and melodic. The music backing is good -- nice drums and instruments -- horns a touch loud. Stomach for it rhythm is good. verse 2,3 have way more groove -- vocalist warmed up to the track. verse 3 has the nice backing / stresses (YouTube , Obama, ...) though they are mixed a bit too loud on the "You You".

Todd McHatton: Strong start for vocals -- sounds like professional LA soft rock. The mastering / production of the chorus doesn't hold up to the strong start though -- guitar tones are too harsh -- piano should be louder. The breakdown is a bit too synthy. Guitar solo has decent tone, but starts out a bit too showy for the song -- when it slows down then builds up to a frenzy again that worked better. Overall the musicianship behind this is clearly strong, and the production / tones are what are holding it back. Cut this in a Hollywood studio and you'd have A+R folks clamoring for a piece.

Jan Krueger: DK wall-o-sound guitar tone with big wall-o-vox monotone melodic line rendered with slight german accent. Not really into the self-referencing lyrics or repetitive lilt that doesn't seem to have more than one part. Nice try!

Paco del Stinko: Awesome bass tone. Sweet guitar overlays. Your songs always seem to inspire visions of a farmer running around his farm chasing slippery, muddy pigs. They are stories of working folk sifting through their tough lives. Locked that pig up, almost got away, now I'm goin to the bar to drink a beer and let my fake wool hair loose. It's a listening experience! I wonder if my little one would go to sleep faster if I played all the Paco stories for bedtime. That guitar solo work is sweet! Booo!

[0ddb0d]

thought I'd have a stab at this reviewing lark...phew it's quite difficult, apologies for any overt frankness

Paco del Stinko - A sort of whimsical prog-rock with a guitar
break that somehow reminds me of Floyd's Money . Everything is balanced well and the instruments all sound sharp but there's a claustrophobic feel to the mix...I wanted a bit more space.
It's somehow all a bit confusing my wee brain. not really my cup of tea I'm afraid.

Elaine DiMasi - I like the originality of the medievil (or Tudor or Plantagenet or whatever damned period that is) arrangement.
Some fine vocal harmonies too.
I can't say I'm really loving this but I think it's pretty clever.
The mix goes a bit muddy in the instrumental middle bit when those pad sounds come in.

Johnny Cashpoint - at first I didn't like the vocal delivery but it grew on me as I listened although some more reverb/eq (or lack of) might softened the voice.
Psychedelic pop with some groovy organ brother.
The chorus has quite a catchy hook with nice harmonies, and all the background la la las added some more 60's feel.
An Isness fan?

Frosty The Showman and Smashblade - The dark sounding verses do it for me the most. I don't think the chorus works nearly so well.
I like the staccato strings and that heavily verbed piano stab samples. Clipping?
Some clever rhymes here and there, the vocals fade away in places.
Didn't completely knock my socks off but it's pretty good.

Jan Krueger - mix is a little off on this.
The drums are too quiet. They're also over-simplistic and over-quantized.
Guitar and vocals are very up front. The song comes across to me rather repetitive which is emphasized by the way the vocal follows the instrument melody.
Sorry, this isn't pressing any buttons

Josh Woodward - first impression - woah, different class. great performances both vocally and instrumentally all
round and top notch production. lots of bright energy and drive.
I can't say I love the song itself, don't get me wrong, it's good but not quite unique enough.

Berkeley Social Scene - (Bias) Love the Joy Zipper style melody and vocals.
The instrumental breaks are a bit off. Not sure the some of the guitar parts really work together.
The mix gets a bit blurry away from the verses. I think a synth solo would've worked better.
Despite the misgivings, I quite like this.

Billy's Little Trip - Rocking drums/beat and some excellent guitar riffs. I like the distorted synth pulse break.
Not mad about the semi-spoken (Rex Harrison does rock) vocals, production is pretty natty though.

Todd McHatton - please buy/make a popshield! I really like the chorus melody but the verses are a bit vague.
Vocal delivery in the verses are a little iffy here and there too.
Some interesting instrumentation and production touches kept me engaged.
Unnecessary Van Helsing-like noodling.

slats - lacking in energy. nothing quite sounds gutsy enough here.
I'd hazard the drums and bass are too quiet. everything sounds very dry too.
could be a decent little bluesy rocker but needs a total remix - not a club type one, just levels and fx.

The Weakest Suit - The distorted vocal thing is a bit overdone.
Reminiscent of Kaiser Cheifs (who I quite like).
It does sort of grow on me as I listen more. I think I'm quite liking it.
Go on then, just one more play....

[j$]

An Isness fan?

I had no idea what you were referring to, but thanks to a combination of google, wikipedia and youtube (the holy trinity of essentially useless information?) i can now safely say though i've never heard the album before, my other half is a FSOL fan so maybe subliminally it got through to me. Certainly I hear little bits in there, like the organ, which are familiar. When it comes down to it, though, I just don't have the sitar for prog-rock

Thanks for the heads-up though. Might invesitgate further!

[0ddb0d]

An Isness fan?

I had no idea what you were referring to, but thanks to a combination of google, wikipedia and youtube (the holy trinity of essentially useless information?) i can now safely say though i've never heard the album before, my other half is a FSOL fan so maybe subliminally it got through to me. Certainly I hear little bits in there, like the organ, which are familiar. When it comes down to it, though, I just don't have the sitar for prog-rock

Thanks for the heads-up though. Might invesitgate further!

TBH, I'm not much of a fan of FSOL, but the Isness is something completely different.
I love it, it's one of my favourite albums, some great songs and instrumentals. I recommend it if you like a bit of psychedelic pop

[Billy's Little Trip]

I know how much work it is to do reviews, so I always feel I should let those who do review the songs, know that people are taking the time to read them. Sure, there might be three different people with four different opinions on how my bass should sound. But that's ok, I like that. In most cases it inspires me to try new things.

BLT - Cool intro. I think I always say this about you, but I'll say it again - this would be fun to see live. I honestly don't love the vocals in a recorded situation, but if this was live I'd be going nuts. Once again, it's done so tightly that I can't help but vote. VOTE.

Yeah, I don't think I'll ever appeal to your vocal senses. I'm certainly not the flavor of the week, lol. Thanks Andrew.

Billy’s Little Trip: The groove is really tasty! I love all of the instruments in their production. The break down is beautiful and weird. I love the acoustic guitar touches too. The chorus could be catchier, but the drums and riffs are so delicious I don’t want it to end. Heavily anticipated, and delivers the goods! VOTE

Thanks Glennny. It's hard these days for a guitar player to really do what he likes in a song without being written off as a six string whore. So it's nice to appeal to a wider group and still get creative and be a little different.

BLT – Ah funk-metal! Like the spoken word on this kind of music. Makes it sound creepier and it’s nice not to hear the Robert Plant impressions in this genre for a change. That said I might turn up the backing vocals so that more of a melody jumps out on first listen. I like the way you have to explain who recorded ‘Stand By Me’ Like the effect on the ‘bass’ in the break down very much. the drums sound great on this. Nice and fat. Great track but 3 minutes in, the lack of a catchy melody makes me sad.

How often do you get lucky enough to rhyme a singers last name with the last word in a line that also just so happens to be a song by said singer? Opportunities like that are rare, so I would have angered the music gods had I omitted it. Yeah, more back up melody on the later choruses would have lifted it up that much more. Thanks, J.

BLT: I love this. It just hits my demographic tastes of late 80s/early 90s perfectly. I can't resist all the tasty hooks and tone choices even though if I hyper-analyzed them I could probably generate a precise list of influences and borrowings. Great job Billy! Long live the 2 second turn on bass lick break down!

Yeah, I'm not sure where things came from, I have this weird thing where I hear things in the music that aren't there, so I put them in so others can hear them too. Thanks, Martyr.

Billy's Little Trip - Rocking drums/beat and some excellent guitar riffs. I like the distorted synth pulse break.
Not mad about the semi-spoken (Rex Harrison does rock) vocals, production is pretty natty though.

Rex Harrison? The Dr Doolittle guy? Oh, if only I could talk like the animals, lol. By the way, no synths were harmed in this song. I don't own keyboards, use sample or any of that fancy stuff. Only guitars, drums and rhythmic talking in this song.

Thanks guys, it's fun to hear good things about my work, for a change.

[inevitableguy]

I wrote these reviews 3 days ago, and then got sidetracked and never posted them!

I think that writing reviews may actually be harder than songfighting. Anyway, here it goes:

Billy's Little Trip - The intro ping-ponginess is great. Tight. I love the seamless integration of all the various riffing going on. The bass seems off, though - I can't tell if it's clipping or if it's supposed to sound that way due to the distortion...just a minor nitpick.

Paco del Stinko - I'm not sure what to think of this. I think I have genre issues - the sound is great, but I find myself not liking the guitar leads. Sorry I can't point to anything more specific.

The Weakest Suit - I love this kind of songwriting - quirky but not so far off the mark as to be unlistenable. The lead vocal in the chorus is off, but I'll live with it.

Johhny Cashpoint - I can't seem to form an opinion either way about this one...not sure why.

Berkeley Social Scene - Maybe it's just me, but the breakdown coming out of the choruses felt forced and unnatural to me. Otherwise, great vibe...really loved the outro.

Frosty the Showman and Smashblade - I like some of the lyrics, especially the intro, but the music is too repetitive for me.

Jan Krueger - The staccato vocals aren't working for me here. With the repetitive rhythm, the melody needs to float around more (or vice versa).

slats - Not really my thing, but the production value is high.

Todd McHatton - The mix kind of steps all over itself in the choruses. Maybe the bass should go a bit into the background and the guitars panned further out? Overall, nice tune.

Elaine DiMasi - The style makes it hard to get into this, but the vocals are beautiful.

Josh Woodward - I really like how this ramps up for the bridge - gives it a great sense of depth. Is it just me, or does the bass drum sound really odd in this one? Regardless, it's a great song.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Billy's Little Trip - The intro ping-ponginess is great. Tight. I love the seamless integration of all the various riffing going on. The bass seems off, though - I can't tell if it's clipping or if it's supposed to sound that way due to the distortion...just a minor nitpick.

Yeah, it was distortion added to a clean bass track. No clipping, but I boosted it to give the feeling. Thanks Invisibleguy.